ZOLA LEVITT

Zola Levitt is a Hebrew Christian, lecturer, radio talk show host ("Heart
of the Matter," KPBC Dallas,) host of Zola Levitt Live on National Christian
Television and an author with over forty books in print. He appears in several
Christian documentary films and periodically serves as a tour guide in Israel.
Levitt's books and other study materials are available through your local
Christian bookstore. You may also use the order form in the back of this book
to order directly from the author.
 Seven Churches
They were not the only churches in the world, of course, but they were
the ones the Lord Jesus Christ Himself chose to examine.
He appeared to John in a vision—His only recorded earthly appearance
in the Church Age (Saul of Tarsus did not actually see Him; Acts 9:7-8)—
and His first messages were about the condition of seven particular churches.
Evidently they were chosen as examples for all time, with their hopes and
dreams, their frustrations and problems.
The society of first century Christianity with its fledgling church
fellowships has been more studied than that of any other group of any time in
human history. What were they like, what did they do and what did their
Lord think of them? And most important of all, what can we learn from all
this?
They are referred to as the Seven Churches of Asia since the Romans
called their province in western Turkey "Asia". When we say Asia today we
refer to that massive part of the eastern hemisphere which includes Russia
and China, but the Seven Churches were located in Asia Minor where Paul
conducted his missionary journeys. Though they were relatively close
together and living under the same government and comparable social
conditions, each of the Seven Churches seems to have had its own peculiar
style and tone. The Lord recognized that and He was frank and to the point in
His comments.
Write!
The Lord made His appearance only to John but He wanted us all to
have the advantage of what He said. He commanded the aged apostle to write
it all down in three categories:
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the
things which shall be hereafter; (Rev. 1:19).
John was to write "the things which thou hast seen", which is to say he
was to describe Christ as He appeared that day. Apparently we are all to
appreciate that the humble Carpenter of Galilee presents quite a different
image in this age:
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his
eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his
voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a
sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his
strength (Rev. 1:14-16).
That the amazing character John saw was really Christ is very clear:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Rev. 1:18).
In writing “the things which are", John chronicled carefully the Lord's
remarks about the seven churches, John's contemporaries. In writing "the
things which shall be hereafter", John wrote nineteen chapters of prophecy
concerning the Tribulation Period, the Second Coming, the Millennial
Kingdom, the Great White Throne of Judgment and the finale of God's plans,
a description of the conditions in eternity.
We are concerned here with "the things which are", or in particular, the
Seven Churches of Asia.
Ephesus: The First Love Lost
In the salutation of each of the short messages the Lord gives a
description meant to identify Himself. He commanded John,
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that
holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks; (Rev. 2:1).
Jesus was pleased with certain matters He found at Ephesus:
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and for my name’s
sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted (Rev. 2:2).
But He found a major fault in the otherwise well-intentioned church
body:
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy
first love (Rev. 2:4).
This is most serious. The Lord is discussing the phenomenon of
unchristian good works, it seems. The Church at Ephesus was to be
commended for the things it had done. The people in that body would not
tolerate false teachers, and they labored for the cause of the cross. But what
good was it all if they had forgotten Christ? He was their First Love—they
had all come to faith through Him. If now they proceeded only to good works
and had forgotten Him, how were they different from any group of
benevolent unbelievers?
We have many non-Christian groups in the world today who do fine
works—the charities that abound in our society, the efforts that all of us
sincerely make through our governing bodies to care for the poor and the
sick, and the general goodneighborliness to be found among Americans and
the other nations everywhere. Good works are not necessarily the exclusive
province of believers. So if the unbelievers can organize to provide food and
shelter for the indigent and if the unbelievers can support charities and
agencies dedicated to the enrichment of all of society, wherein lies the
difference? How does one discriminate the good workers of the world from
the good workers of the church?
The answer lies, of course, in the love of Jesus Christ. The unbeliever
does not know or love Jesus but the believer is to make this his "first work".
Even within the truly believing church we may find more of an
emphasis on the works of the church than on the love of Jesus Christ. We
have all attended churches where the emphasis is placed on membership or
social activities or a high level of scriptural study, but the person and nature
of the Savior Himself has been subverted to the labors. The reverse is also
possible, of course, where the believers so intensely praise the Lord at such
length that little else gets done and they edify only themselves. James tells us
that “Without works faith is dead".
The healthy church, then, is to find a right balance between sincere love
of Christ and the accomplishment of His purposes through service in this life.
In no case is a church to proceed with works if they have forgotten their love
of Christ.
We could go on and on to discuss what the Lord declared most precisely
in one verse, but the matter is clear. Our Lord takes serious exception to a
church that does not love Him first and foremost.
The Lord commends the purity of the doctrine of Ephesus in an
important point:
 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I
also hate (Rev. 2:6).
It is not quite clear just who the Nicolaitanes were or what they
believed, but scholars have arrived at two likely theories from other sources.
Possibly they were followers of the proselyte of Antioch, Nicholas (Acts 6:5),
and they began to advocate license in their Christian walk. They seemed to
think that the deeds of the flesh had nothing to do with the spiritual life and
were thus in violation of the many admonishments of the New Testament
regarding the behavior of the believers.
The second theory comes from a literal translation of the word
Nicolaitane, which means "to conquer the people". This may refer to the
establishing of a hierarchy or a priestly order in the early church, dividing the
believers into superior and inferior ranks. In reality the brotherhood of
Christians is an equal one (Matt. 23:8) and we are all level at the cross. There
are no important Christians. The Church is entirely a group of convicted
sinners. In reality the leadership of a proper church are servants of the people;
pastor means shepherd, and the pastor is commissioned to "feed the flock";
elders and deacons were to serve the people in spiritual and administrative
roles respectively. There is no man after the cross who is spiritually superior
to any other man. Those churches who establish an order of ranks and levels
of importance among their clergy are guilty of this very heresy.
It is perfectly correct, of course, for those in the church with spiritual
gifts to exercise those and to lead the brethren in those areas. Teachers teach,
administrators administrate and givers give. Because of the way the gifts
have been distributed by the Holy Spirit certain brethren will predominate in
certain areas. The idea, however, of any Christian bowing down to any other
Christian is abhorrent to the true Gospel. Peter displayed a fitting Christian
humility on the occasion of the salvation of the first Gentile:
And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his
feet, and worshipped him.
But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man (Acts
10:25-26).
The Lord concludes His message to Ephesus with a statement He will
repeat at the end of each and every message. Seven times He solemnly
dictated,
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
(Rev. 2:7a).
Smyrna: Persecution
The issue with the church at Smyrna seemed to be persecution. This
situation begins to suggest the prophetic nature of the seven churches. Some
analysts hold that they describe seven periods of the Church Age, in order, in
their characteristics. Thus if Ephesus were representative of the apostolic
church, then Smyrna would represent the following two centuries or so when
the Christian Church suffered under despotic domination by Rome. A close
comparison of the churches with church history as a whole tends to support
this theory, though it is difficult to be dogmatic about it.
In any case, Smyrna suffered but held on. We find no condemnation
from the Lord in the case of this church but only a heartening message that it
should persevere.
The Lord first turns His attention to deceivers in the church at Smyrna:
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I
know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the
synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9).
This verse is difficult to interpret and gives rise to a certain amount of
anti-Semitism. It would appear the Jewish people were persecuting this
church from a cursory reading. Rather, however, the scripture describes
people who were not Jewish but said they were for their own purposes. The
biblical meaning of the term Jew, from Judah, is "praiser of God". Evidently
there was a group in the church posing as true believers, praisers of God, who
were not that at all. They belonged to the church for sundry other reasons.
Possibly they wished to trade with the church members and facilitated their
purposes by meeting them under pleasant circumstances.
The situation puts me in mind of an insurance company to which I
applied for a job when I was a student. It was a requirement of this
corporation, one of our nation's largest insurers, that all of its agents go to
church every Sunday in order to make contacts with the church people. I
protested that I had never been to church since I was Jewish (this was long
before I was saved). The manager soothingly told me that I could go to the
church anyway since my purposes really weren't religious but simply to make
profitable personal relationships. Due to the change in the church over the
long period since the first century I was being counseled to pretend that I was
a Gentile in order to do my worldly works (belong to the "synagogue of
Satan").
It is interesting to note that posing as a Jew gained one a logical
entrance to the church at Smyrna, indicating that there must have been many
Jews in that congregation. Growing a beard, wearing fringe on the garments,
and the other mannerisms of Judaism would constitute a first-class disguise
as a Christian in those days. How things have changed!
We also see from the above verse that those in Smyrna endured poverty
but the Lord calls them rich. Their poverty was merely worldly and they were
rich in the spiritual things that really mattered. We will see in our seventh
church the Lord's opinion of worldly riches and their bearing on spiritual
things.
The Lord warns Smyrna of impending persecutions even worse than
those of the time:
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold the devil shall
cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have
tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown
of life (Rev. 2:10).
Most Bible commentators avoid the phrase "ye shall have tribulation ten
days" since it is hard to identify this particular number. But a knowledge of
Jewish history and tradition sheds a great deal of light in this case. What is
being spoken of in the verse is a time of waiting until some culminating
event. The figure of ten days fits very rationally into the seven feasts of
Israel: there are ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of
Atonement (Lev. 23:24; 23:27).
These ten days deserve some discussion. The Feast of Trumpets was a
time of deliverance, as with the trumpets of Jericho or Gideon's trumpets. The
trumpet has ever been God's signal of triumph, as it will at the Rapture of the
church (I Thess.4:16). But the Day of Atonement, on the other hand, was the
day of life or death to the Jew. On this day each year the high priest would
enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple and make the ultimate sacrifice for the
national sins of Israel. If God accepted, then the nation would be spared for
another year. If not, presumably the Jews and possibly the whole world might
be destroyed in a moment. There could be no more momentous day in every
year than Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Thus the ten days between the
two feasts were a time of great repentance and personal examination on the
part of each Jew. They came finally to be known, and are still known in the
orthodox synagogue today, as the "Ten Awesome Days". With eternal life
hanging in the balance, the Jew considered the condition of his soul before
God for that exact period until the ultimate resolution that was to follow.
Likewise in the New Testament the apostles waited exactly ten days
between the ascension of the Lord to His Father and the coming of the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost. Since the time between the festival of First Fruits (now
called Easter) and that of Pentecost was exactly fifty days, and since the Lord
was with His disciples forty days (Acts 1:3), then the disciples must have
waited again for ten awesome days. The outcome for the Jew was always that
God accepted the sins on behalf of the nation, and the outcome for the
apostles was that they were empowered in the mightiest of ways by the Holy
Spirit.
Finally, we can arrive at the period of ten days fitting prophetically into
God's plans for the end of the age. By consulting the feasts many scholars
reasonably assume that Trumpets symbolizes the Rapture of the church, and
Atonement the Second Coming of the Lord. The Tribulation Period itself,
seven years long, would therefore end on a Day of Atonement (since the Lord
puts a stop to the war of Armaggedon immediately when He returns) and so it
had to start on a Day of Atonement. It is also a reasonable assumption that in
some upcoming year the Rapture will occur on Trumpets and then ten days
later the Tribulation Period will get under way with the Antichrist's covenant
with Israel. Again, the world will wait ten awesome days. The difference in
this case, however, will be that the world, entirely unbelievers since we are
speaking of the time immediately after the Rapture of the true church, will get
not a triumphant event but the Antichrist instead. In any case the time of
waiting is again exactly ten days.
Thus in the verse above it is very reasonable for the Lord to warn
Smyrna of persecution lasting ten days, but then, to say "be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life". This suffering but truly believing
church would receive the heavenly reward of the crown of life when they
have endured the ultimate period of waiting.
The last word to Smyrna contains an especially appropriate message in
light of their hard times:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (Rev. 2:11).
After His formula statement the Lord reminds those under tribulation
that they will not suffer the second death. This most awful punishment
describes complete and irreversible separation from God. Everyone suffers
one death (except the church alive at the time of the Rapture). But the church
is resurrected unto life and the unbeliever unto judgment. At the final Great
White Throne of Judgment the unbeliever will suffer what is called the
second death, through which he will be eternally separated from God. The
believers do not come under this final judgment at all since their sins were
forgiven at the cross.
No Christian, then, fears death since it leads only to eternal life with
God. But the unbeliever must suffer the second death, a thing truly to be
feared. Smyrna seemed to need just such an encouraging word from the
Master Himself in regard to their final position with God.
Pergamos: The Worldly Church
The church at Pergamos, the capital of the Asian province before
Ephesus, was forced to dwell in the world, "where Satan’s seat is":
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is:
and thou holdest fast my name, and has not denied my faith, even in those
days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you,
where Satan dwelleth (Rev. 2:13).
Every church is "in the world" but is not necessarily "of the world", to
use the Master's own words. Pergamos is commended for holding to the
Lord's name and not denying their faith, even in their difficult circumstances.
The faithful Antipas is singled out, and evidently the church continued in its
spiritual walk after his martyrdom.
But it seems to be a principle of church life that the body of believers
within the big population centers have a harder time holding to the faith than
those in the provinces. It's harder to keep one's faith intact in New York or
Los Angeles than it is in Kansas. The worldly diversions continue to tempt
the flesh, and while the spirit may be ever so willing, the flesh invariably
remains weak. Those in Pergamos were prey to the materialistic and sinful
doctrines of the setting and the Lord goes on to comment on that:
 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock
before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication (Rev. 2:14).
Balaam was a false prophet who tempted the children of Israel to marry
women of Moab and not to take seriously their divine separation from the
other nations (Num. 31:15,16; 22:5; 23:8). The world and the church have no
legitimate business with each other (James 4:4) except the discussion of
salvation in Christ. The sins of Israel mentioned in the above verse
contradicted two of their most basic laws and undermined their calling as the
chosen people of God. Likewise in any age, the siren calling of the world
inevitably weakens the testimony of the called out ones until the sins of the
believers make a mockery of their supposed faith.
The Lord comes back now to a complaint He had of the church of
Ephesus:
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which
thing I hate (Rev. 2:15).
We notice that what in Ephesus was merely "the deeds of the
Nicolaitanes" has now become "the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes". What must
have first been only a tendency of a small group—to perhaps establish a
priesthood and greater and lesser levels within the church, now had the force
of real doctrine. In the prophetic schedule of the seven churches, Pergamos
would represent the Church of Rome which, shot through with a clerical
hierarchy, abused the laity and abused the Lord. The wretched excesses of the
Crusades and the Inquisitions were the result of an all-powerful clergy
coming down without restraint or scriptural sanction on the believers and
unbelievers of whatever district they superintended.
We have the remarkable situation in some churches today where the
congregation might actually be opposed to the policies of some central
governing body or even of its local ministers. We have made hierarchies of
church officials willy-nilly, in utter opposition to the scriptures, and then we
must rebuff or even revolt against their policies as to the conduct of the
church. Sadly, some of the biggest mainline denominations, which contain
large numbers of true believers, have occasionally found themselves under
the rule of those obviously unlearned in even the most basic principles of the
faith. We were never to have such governing bodies in the church for reasons
that are all too clear in many denominations today.
The Lord never gives up on a church, and whatever He cites as
shortcomings among the seven churches are always redeemable. With
Pergamos as with the others He concludes by urging repentance, indicating
that any church body, or individual believer for that matter, can now find his
way back to the true and narrow path.
Thyatira: A Church Divided
The Lord has a double message for the church at Thyatira, which
suffered from having a "double congregation". Evidently the church
contained a faction that were far too worldly, backsliding into sins similar to
those at Pergamos; but a believing remnant were also to be found. We don't
have to look awfully far to find this situation in our modern churches.
After the salutation the Lord begins with a fine commendation for the
church as a whole:
I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience,
and thy works; and the last to be more than the first (Rev. 2:19).
The later works had exceeded those at the beginning so that the church
had been making progress. There was much good to be found at Thyatira.
But the Lord goes on:
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest
that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to
seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto
idols (Rev. 2:20).
The sins of Thyatira are those mentioned in connection with Pergamos
(Rev. 2:14) but in this case are identified with Jezebel rather than Balaam.
Balaam encouraged worldliness but Jezebel advocated the deadlier sin of
idolatry.
A look at the life of Jezebel in the Old Testament shows the appalling
depths to which the worship of false gods can descend —and this from the
Queen of Israel! Her husband was King Ahab, not really a more spiritual soul
than Jezebel, but rather an immature, tantrum-throwing, hen-pecked
unfortunate. Ahab wanted his ivory palaces and his comfortable off-season
retreats, while Jezebel wanted the northern ten tribes to worship Baal.
Forging letters from her husband, the black-hearted queen conducted palace
intrigues and assassinations. She reveled in the supposed power of Baal and
she targeted the prophet Elijah as her personal public enemy number one. For
his part Elijah respected her; his sojourn in the wilderness was out of fear of
the powerful idolatress who virtually ruled the northern kingdom. God
rescued his depressed prophet and rejuvenated him, but Jezebel went on and
on wreaking spiritual destruction. She finally died with fitting violence at the
hand of Jehu, through whom the Almighty, His patience exhausted with the
pagan ways of the north, took His vengeance.
We no longer chase after gods like Baal in our modern churches, but
rather gods like buildings, money and social prestige. But it's all the same to
the Lord; idolatry is idolatry— the spiritual form of adultery.
The Lord notes that in the case of Thyatira opportunity for repentance
was given but not taken:
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not
(Rev. 2:21).
To the true believers of Thyatira, however, the Lord gives a heartening
message:
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not
this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I
will put upon you none other burden.
But that which ye have already hold fast till I come (Rev. 2: 24-25).
The true believers are to persevere despite the influence of the
backsliding portion of the church and the world around them. The Lord
assures them that they have burdens enough and He will require nothing
further from them under the circumstances. They must have been doing a
good job with the faith since the Lord counseled more perseverance in almost
every other case.
But the believers of Thyatira had satisfied their Savior, a spiritual
position to be desired by every one of us.
The reward for true faith is overwhelming:
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him
will I give power over the nations: (Rev. 2:26).
Indeed in the Kingdom to come, when all accounts of the Church Age
are in, some Christians ignominious in this world will reign as virtual kings.
The disciples believed this implicitly and even approached the Lord about
their relative positions in the millennium. Many Christians set their sights on
this life in practice. They desire to achieve a satisfying spiritual position and a
clear conscience in the faith, and these things are validly desirable. But too
often we lose sight of the fact that there are magnificent rewards in the age to
come, and that that age is the real point of the Christian faith. It is not so
much that we should desire importance or sway over our fellow men, but
rather that we fully realize that a resurrection to greater things is the ultimate
reward of all who hold fast to the faith. If Christianity were meant for this life
only, it could be seriously asked if it were indeed a satisfying religion. Many
of the worldly religions provide blessings in the flesh and the unbeliever, as
we have pointed out, does many good works. But the fact that the King is
coming separates the true faith from all other of men's ideas on how to please
God. The Lord holds up to the faithful at Thyatira the very best of all His
blessings in order to bolster them in their walk.
In the end, the true believers will get Jesus Himself—His love, His
compassion, His company, His intimacy:
And I will give him the morning star (Rev. 2:28).
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and
morning star (Rev. 22:16).
In considering the situation of Thyatira we have a simple choice to
make. Which of us would prefer a relationship with Jezebel to a relationship
with Jesus Christ?
Sardis: A Dying Church
The church at Sardis provides us that sad picture of the grand old church
building that once was filled with joyful believers but now is dying and
almost empty. These churches are to be found nearly everywhere and they
typically suffer from a want of good teaching and truly spiritual leadership.
The believers can't get anything when they come so they simply don't come.
Left behind is a diminishing congregation of malnourished diehards.
The Lord is very clear about Sardis:
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he
that hath the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou
livest, and art dead.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to
die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God (Rev. 3:1-2).
The idea of death in a church expresses that the people are living strictly
in the flesh. It is the flesh that dies; the spirit never dies.
The Lord hasn't given up on Sardis, of course, and He points to some
things in the church that are sick but not dead as yet. The Lord urges the
congregation to reclaim those spiritual works that are not dead and He gives
clear warning that nothing less than the Second Coming and the Kingdom
hang in the balance:
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast,
and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief,
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Rev. 3:3).
The image of the thief who comes by surprise is from I Thessalonians 5,
where Paul discusses how the world will be unaware of the Lord's coming.
The believer should never be unaware that the Lord is returning, but the
world will be as unalert as a householder is of a thief in the night. The "Day
of the Lord" is under discussion here and it indicates the entire period of the
Tribulation, the Second Coming and the Millennial Kingdom. This is when
the Lord will truly have His day and only those who truly expect Him and
wait in hope for His coming will participate with Him.
There is a danger then that some church members will not be part of the
Lord's plans for the future. He made this point most emphatically in the
Gospels, saying that there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth at the end
and that He will have to tell some "I never knew you". It is not enough
therefore, at least in the case of Sardis, to just keep coming to a dying church.
Evidently they will not have faith enough for the Lord to consider them a part
of the true church; they are simply not saved.
It is imperative then for the dying church to pull itself together, get the
Bibles out again and rejuvenate their relationship with the Lord. The truest
sign of the dying church is those missing Bibles. I once taught at a church
where I noticed the people entering before the service empty-handed. I spoke
to the pastor briefly, telling him that I would be referring to the Bible quite a
bit in the lesson that evening. He replied, "That's good, we have one." In the
worst of the apostasy of the Church of Rome, we can safely assume that each
church had one Bible, if only one of those ornate huge print versions on a
lectern up front. But obviously the Lord's standards call for a Bible per
person, not a Bible per church. It is a safe assumption that Sardis had its
troubles because it simply didn't know the Word. A church cannot die if it is
carrying out the Word of God. The faith will be there and the works will be
there.
The Lord singles out a small remnant for commendation in the church at
Sardis:
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not
defiled their garments; and shall walk with me in white: for they are
worthy (Rev. 3:4).
Walking with the Lord in white is a magnificent reward pictured at the
Marriage Supper of the Lamb:
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of
the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (Rev. 19: 7-8).
The bride of Christ, the faithful, will have pure white garments
signifying their perfection before the Lord. The type goes all the way back to
the Tabernacle and the garments of the priesthood. Pure white indicated
absolute righteousness before God and so the costumes of the priests and the
hangings of the Temple were instead sewn with colors—scarlet, blue and
purple (sacrifice, heaven and royalty). The colors of Christ had to be mixed
with the white of the garments, indicating that the wearers were perfect only
in Him. Ultimately we will be perfect in ourselves, our sins forgiven at the
cross and our bad works burned away at the Judgment Seat of Christ (I Cor.
3:11-15). The reward of white garments is inestimably and eternally
significant. It goes to all true believers.
The Lord lays particular stress on the accompanying rewards for those
in the white garments:
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I
will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name
before my Father, and before his angels (Rev. 3:5).
To those at Sardis, apparently without detailed knowledge of the Bible,
the Lord clearly defines His terms. It is not only that they will wear white, but
they will remain in the Book of Life and will be known to the Father and the
angels. To the unread but faithful ones Jesus takes particular trouble in
emphasizing the completeness of their reward.
In the prophetic system of the churches Thyatira and Sardis conform to
the churches before and after the Reformation. It must be remembered that
the Medieval and Renaissance congregations simply did not have Bibles. It
wasn't a case of their not wishing to read the scriptures, but of the fact that the
scriptures were not made available. The Church of Rome declared that the
ordinary folk should not read the scriptures but be guided by the
interpretations of the clergy, and this is true to some degree today in this
church. Vernacular Bibles were still hard to come by in the period following
the Reformation and so the congregations went about their faith largely
ignorant of the Word.
With the invention of the printing press and the proliferation of
translations available today there is not the vaguest excuse for any church to
be without Bibles. Those which are will inevitably find themselves in the sick
and dying state of Sardis.
Philadelphia: The True Church
There is no quibble at all with the church at Philadelphia. His message
contains nothing but commendations for that faithful fellowship:
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no
man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast not denied my name
(Rev. 3:8).
The "open door" indicates that the church reaches out to its community
and that people coming in will find Christ there. It was a witnessing church
that had kept Christ's Word and never denied His name.
Having a good church is just that simple.
Evidently the church was experiencing some problems with those who
pose as true believers, just as in the church at Smyrna (Rev. 2:9):
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are
Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship
before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee (Rev. 3:9).
In this case the charlatans will yet make amends for their hypocrisy. The
image is given of the untrue ones bowing before the faithful and coming to
the full realization that the Master loved those who stood steadfast.
 Now the Lord makes a most heartening promise in relation to the
Tribulation Period, saying that Philadelphia will be spared that awful time of
judgment:
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them
that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10).
The above verse is often used as evidence that the Rapture will precede
the Tribulation Period, and that the true church will betaken out of the world
before the Antichrist comes to do his bloody work. It is a very strong proof
text; "the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world" is a most
fitting description of the Tribulation Period and nothing else (see Matt.
24:21). It is clear that Philadelphia, and apparently all the churches like that
body, will be kept from the punishments described later on through the Book
of Revelation.
It is important that we appreciate that none of the other churches
received this particular promise of the Lord—as if to say that the churches
flawed with unbelief and heresy will endure the Tribulation. As we can
surmise from many other scriptures, the faithful and true will go with the
Lord in the Rapture, and those who are not the true believers, even if they
prefer to be known as Christians, will face those awful times.
The Lord then encourages ongoing faithfulness:
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take
thy crown (Rev. 3:11).
The implication here is that unbelieving men can yet infiltrate the true
church and spoil its testimony. In view of the situation with the world, the
hypocrites and the heretics, no Christian can really relax. The testimony must
be kept pure and forceful right up to the return of the King.
In the prophetic scheme Philadelphia seems to represent the strong and
true church that emerged after the Reformation but before the apostasy of the
end times. Many observers of today's church life feel that they see the
Philadelphians everywhere— witnessing churches strong and true—
surrounded on every side by faltering and weak churches in error. Scripture
indicates that just before the end times, or Tribulation Period, there will be a
weakening of many churches (II Thess. 2:3) and indeed as we come to the
final church we read of a problem all too apparent in modern Christianity.
 Laodicea: Apostasy
The Lord is very discouraged with the church at Laodicea and really has
nothing good to say about the state in which He finds it:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of my mouth (Rev. 3:15-16).
With hot water one can make coffee or tea and with cold water one can
refresh himself. But what is to be done with tepid, lukewarm water? The Lord
says He will spit out this church for being in that mediocre state.
The large liberal denominations again come to mind. They bear the
name Christian and indeed a cross appears on the steeples of the church
buildings. They wouldn't be caught saying that they hate Christ, of course,
but neither do they love Him. They wouldn't be caught doing no good works,
but all of their works are in the flesh. They wouldn't be accused of saying the
Bible is false but they won't say that it is true either. This middle ground, this
hypocrisy, seems to displease the Lord more than a straight-forward stand of
unbelief. He would rather have them admit to their lack of faith than to
patronize the Gospel with some pretense of loyalty that has no real meaning.
Indeed throughout the pages of the Gospel we never find the Lord in His
earthly ministry criticizing an unbeliever. The Lord fraternized with sinners
all the time and witnessed to them patiently. It was a different story in the
Temple, however, where He found those lukewarm ones, the berobed priests
whose selfrighteousness got the best of their ability to learn from the Messiah
Himself. The Lord took a whip to them (John 2:12-17).
The church acts today as if God hates sinners. God has never hated
sinners; He says He hates hypocrites.
Our liberal churches are often found in a state of wealth in the modern
world and the Lord has much to say about that:
Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of
thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see (Rev. 3:18-19).
Gold is the symbol of God—the Lord wants them to try God and then
they will be truly rich. Earthly gold they already have, but it is spiritually of
no effect. The white raiment we discussed above in connection with the
church at Sardis; the Lord appeals to the lukewarm church to make every
effort to qualify for this level of purity. Medicine to combat the blindness of
the lukewarm church is also available from the Lord.
Lest they think that Jesus is merely a rebuker and hard to please, He
extends as with the other erring churches the chance of true restoration:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent (Rev. 3:19).
A Final Word
In conclusion the Lord states three verses applicable to any kind of
church throughout the age. He first presents His own position and attitude
toward all men:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me
(Rev. 3:20).
The above verse used so often in witnessing to the lost is here applied
principally to the churches, which paradoxically contain some of the lost.
Throughout the age of faith Jesus Christ stands waiting; in fact He stands
knocking at the door. In like manner in the Gospels the Lord stressed the
simplicity of coming to true faith: "Ask and it shall be given unto you", "Seek
and ye shall find". The picture of the One who laid down His life for His
friends standing at a door and knocking should melt any unbelieving heart.
The Lord then presents in brief form the magnificent reward awaiting
those who will come to Him:
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne (Rev. 3:21).
And finally there repeats again the ringing cadences of that magnificent
admonition given to all men of the church age that they might take a fitting
example from the triumphs and tribulations of those early church fellowships:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
(Rev. 3:22).